Transition in chronic illness: Who is going where?
OBJECTIVE
With increasing survival rates for chronic childhood illness, there has been an increasing focus on the transition of clinical care from paediatric to adult services. Data regarding patient numbers are essential for strategic planning and for optimal management. We report on a data collection exercise from the New South Wales Greater Metropolitan Clinical Taskforce Transition Program.


METHODS
Data were collected between August 2004 and October 2005 through face-to-face interviews with over 200 clinicians in 68 clinical services in tertiary paediatric hospitals in New South Wales, providing information on approximately 4200 patients.


RESULTS
Sixty-eight services kept a database on patients with chronic illness but less than half were electronic. Eight services (12%) could specifically identify patients in the active phase of transition on their databases. The five most prevalent clinical groups requiring transition to adult specialist health care (excluding cerebral palsy and developmental disability) were diabetes, other endocrinology, neurology, spina bifida and gastroenterology.


CONCLUSIONS
There are large numbers of young people with chronic illness and disability who need effective transition to long-term adult care. This study has enabled the identification of paediatric aspects of the transition process that require attention.
Steinbeck
Katharine S
KS
Endocrinology and Adolescent Medicine, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. kss@email.cs.nsw.gov.au
Brodie
Lynne
L
Towns
Susan J
SJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000295:Adolescent Medicine; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology